Can feeder



March 22,1927. R THOMPSON 2 .6

CAN FEEDER Filed April 26, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Yawn {v mf- March 1927' I A. R. THOMP ON CAN FEEDER Filed April 26, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Q1643 A. 71 y of the procession.

Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT R. THOMPSON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANDERSON-BARN- GROVER MFG. CO., 0]? SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

can FEEDER.

Application filed April 26, 1926. Serial No. 104,674.

My invention relates to the class of feeders for supplying empty containers to a work-table before which the operatives sit and fill the containers, as they are presented. ,'lhough my invention is applicable to a variety of products which are to be filled in containers of whatever form or nature, it is especially adapted for the canning industry; and I have, therefore, for the sake of example, entitled the invention can-feeders, and shall hereinafter refer to it in such terms, it being understood, however, that it is not to be confined to such use.

The growth of the canning industry has been of such proportions that economy of time consumed in the operations involved may be said to stand prominently forth. This economy of time my invention has in view. To attain it I provide a feeder which will present a can-procession, to the operatives at the work-table,'and will return to the procession such cans as are not filled, and cause them to rejoin the line without any interruption whatever of the orderly advance Thenature of my invention will now be fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which is shown one form of my machine or apparatus, it being understood that changes may be made in form, structure and arrangement, and par,- ticularly in'the power-transmission connections, without departing from the spirit of the inventionv as defined in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawingsFig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of my feeder on the line 1 11 of Fig. 2, the outer terminal of the endless work-table being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the feeder, broken in length, and taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section of the cam track and its followers, and is taken approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 2, the work-table as a whole comprises the rotating receiving disk 1, the stationary working section 2 at which the line 3+3 of init al disk 1 will be carried by the rotation of said disk, to the work section 2, 011 which it Wlll be advanced by the cable 5 upon which it rests in part. Assuming for the moment 'that the can be allowed to remain upon the table, it will be passed to the return disk 3 and by the latter will be advanced to the return section 4, upon which, by the cable 5, it will be returned to the initial disk 1, and by the latter will be carried around to the work section 2, again, thus completing the circuit.

It may be stated, at this point, that the foregoing account of the travel of the illustrative can is not applicable to all the cans, as will hereinafter fully ap ear, but is here given merely to convey a c ear understanding of the structure and function of the table "as a whole.

The cans .are fed to the table disk 1 by any suitable conveyer adapted for the automatic 'control presently set forth. The specific screw 6. The head of the screw lies within the base of a hopper 7. to'which the cans 8 are conveniently supplied, as for example by a rolling action from some chute, not shown, and in which hopper they lie recumbent anddescend by gravity as each is removed from'the bottom, by the rotation of the screw. The can at the bottom finds a seat between the threads of'the screw, and is carried forward thereby. Associated with the screw, as shown in Fig.2, is a can-uprighting plate 9 which by contact with the advancing can gradually turns it from its initial recumbent position to an upright position, in which latter position it is placed upon the projecting entrance portion 2' of the working section 2 and is thence pushed,

of the table. namely the disks 1 and 3 and the cable 5 preferably, have a continuous movement imparted to them.

As a can is filled satisfactorily, 1t is removed by hand from the table. It may, and not infrequently does happen, however, that a. can will miss being filled either wholly or partially. In this case it is not removed by the operative, but is allowed to continue lts travel around the table and to return to the initial disk 1.

Now, if the can procession were uninterruptedly augmented from the rear by the screw 6, it is manifest that there would be no open space in the line to admit the returned can and enable it to rejoin the procession. It is, therefore, necessary to temporarily interrupt the function of said screw to retard its supply line of cans and thus, during said rest interval, to create 'a vacancy or opening in the procession ahead, into which the returned can may pass. This necessary interruption and subsequent resumption of the augmenting screw-fed cans is made automatically dependent upon the presence or absence of a returned unfilled can. If there be such a can about to rejoin the line, the screw feed will cease for a moment and will resume as soon as said can falls in line: but if there be no such returned can, the screw feed will be continuous. At all times, however, the procession of cans traveling before the workers will be unbroken. The operating mechanism will now be readily understood.

In Fig. 1, 10 is a pulley by which power is led into the machine. This pulley, through a shaft 11 and gears indicated at 12 drives a vertical shaft 13 mounted suitably in a frame 14. The foot of the shaft 13 carries one of the terminal sheaves 5 of the cable 5, and this sheave carries the receiving disk 1 of the work-table. The

other bight of the cable 5 passes, as in Fig.

2, to a second terminal sheave 5" and this sheave carries the return disk 3.

Thus the moving parts of the work-table are driven continuously. 3 Referring again to Fig. 1, 15 is a gear which is mounted freely about the shaft 13,

but is driven thereby throu h a clutch mecha ism presently describe The gear 15 meshes with a inion 16 on a shaft 17, which through t e gears 18 drives the feed screw 6.

The clutch mechanism is as follows Within the hub 15 of the gear 15 is keyed as shown at 19 in Fig.4, a clutch member 20 fitted for rotation about the shaft 13 amlprovided with a bushing 21, Figs. 1

and 4. The clutch member 20 has a pcripheral series of spaced contact lugs 20, Fig. 4, here shown as four in number.

Mounted on the shaft 13 and rotating therewith are two spaced spiders 22, Fig. 1, in the arms of which are carried the annular series of vertically slidable rods 23, comprising four pairs, as in Figs. 3 and ,4, each rod being fitted with a spring 24, Fig. 1, to normally depress it. Each pair of the rods 23 atthe upper end carries a clutch head 25, Figs. 1 and 4, with a lug 25 adapted when depressed to enter between the lugs 20' of the clutch member 20, and when elevated, to rise above and clear said lugs 20'. When, therefore, the clutch head lugs 25 are in the depressed position first mentioned, motion is transmitted from shaft 13 to feed screw 6, and when said heads are in the second mentioned or elevated. posi-v tion, the transmission is broken and the feed screw is at rest.

Each pair of rods 23 also carries, at the lower end, a foot-piece 26 comprising, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, an outer stop member 26 and an inner cam-follower member 26".

Mounted upon the frame 14, about the shaft 13, and under the lower spider 22, is a circular stationary cam-track 27, Figs. 1, 3, and 5, upon which ride the followers 26" of the foot pieces 26. The camtrack, throughout the greater portion of its circumference, is high enough to maintain three of the four pairs of rods 23 at an elevation suflicient to raise their stop members 26 above the level of any return can or cans which may be assing under said stop members, on the disk 1; and such elevation of the rods causes their clutch heads 25 to remain out of engagement with the clutch member 20 of the gear 15. But said camtrack 27 at the remaining quarter, approximately, of its circumference, is depressed as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 at 27' sufficiently to allow the fourth pair of rods to slide down under the tension of their springs 24, provided no return can. is present at that point, with the effect of completing the clutch engagement of that pair and thus throwing the feed screw 6 into operation. This depression of the can1-track 27 it must be noted, is immediately prior to the line of cans being fed by the screw 6.

A deseriptlon' of the operation will make the arrangement and purpose of the clutch mechanism clean-'1 If a returning can, such as is indicated by 8 in Fig. 1, be on the disk 1 and advancing steadilyto rejoin the procession it will, when it arrives at the line, receive on its top the outer foot stop member 26' of the overlying pair of rods 23, which pair would otherwise descend, having arrived at the depression 27' of the cam track 27, and will thus arrest the descent of said pair of rods thereby holding their head clutch 25 clear of engagement with the clutch member 20 of the gear 15. Motion, therefore, will not be transmitted to the feed screw 6, with the effect of causing amomentary stoppage of the cans being fed by the screw, and thus providing a space in the line which will be at once occupied by the returning can 8. If more returning cans immediately follow the first, the above effect will continue, thus permitting each returning can to succes sively rejoin the procession. But when no returning can arrives at the point indicated, or immediately upon the previous falling in line of a returning can, the pair of .rods 23 next arriving will drop, since there is no returning can to arrest them; and the clutch engagement will thereby be efiected and the feed of the cans by the screw 6 resumed.

Thus the procession of cans past the operatives will be continuous, while provision is made for the return to the procession of such cans as are not filled, withoutinterference or crowding by newly fed cans.

In order to accurately adjust the camtrack 27 for timely operation of the clutch mechanism, said track as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5, is secured to the frame-bracket 28 by a set-screw 29, said screw passing through a slot 30, Fig. 3, in the bracket 28, so that the cam track 27 can be angularly adjusted.

I claim 1. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising a conveyer for supplying a procession of containers; means for passing said procession by a filling station; and means for returning any given container, after passing said station, and introducing it into the procession supplied by said conveyer.

2. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising means for conveying a procession of containers past a filling station; a conveyer for supplying containers to said procession; means for returning any given container after passing said station; means for automatically 0 ening the procession to admit said returne container thereto with out interrupting the advance of the procession past the station; and means for-conveying said returned container into said openin 3. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising means for conveying a procession of containers past a filling station; means for returning any given container after passing said station; means set in operation by the returned container for automatically opening the procession to admit said container thereto without interrupting the advance of the procession past the station; and means for conveying said returned container into said opening.

4. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising means for conveying a proces sion of containers past a filling station; means for supplying containers to said procession; means for returning any given container after passing said station; means for automatically temporarily stopping the supply means to open the procession to admit said returned container thereto without interrupting the advance of the procession past the station; and means for conveying said returned container into said opening.

5. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising means for conveying a procession of containers past a filling station; means for supplying containers to said procession; means for returning any given container after passing said station; means set in operation by said. returned container for automatically temporarily stopping the supply means to' open the procession to admit said returned container thereto without interrupting the advance of the procession past the station; and means for conveying said returned container into' saicl opening.

6. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising an endless container path; an endless conveyer in said path for conducting a procession of containers past a filling station, and returning any given container; means for maintaining said procession by supplying containers thereto rearwardly of the endle:s container path; and means for automatically temporarily arresting the rear supply means to open the procession to ad mit the returned given container thereto.

7. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising an endless container path; an endless conveyer in said path for conducting a procession of containers past a filling station, and returning any given container; means for maintaining said procession by supplying containers thereto rearwardly of the endless container path; and means set in operation by said returning given container for automatically temporarily arresting the rear supply means to open the procession to admit the returned given container thereto.

8. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising an endless container path composed of a pair of rotatable spaced disks, intervening stationary spaced sections, and an endless traveling conveyer in said sections adapted to receive containers from and deliver them to said disks, means for rotating said disks and moving said conveyer whereby a procession of containers may be advanced over one of said sections and anj given container returned over the other of said sections; means for supplying contamers to said path'to maintain said procession; and means for temporarily checking said supply to open the procession and admit said given container thereto.

9. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising an endless container path composed of a pair of rotatable spaced disks, intervening stationary spaced sections, and an endless traveling conveyer in said sections adapted to receive containers from and deliver them to said disks; means for rotating said disks and moving said conveyer whereby a procession of containers may be advanced over one of said sections and any given container returned over the other of said sections; means for supplying containers to said path to maintain said procession; and means set in operation by said given container for temporarily checking said supply to open the procession and admit said given container thereto.

10. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising an endless container-path; means for advancing a procession of containers in said path and carrying an given container.

through the circuit thereo mechanism for driving said advancing means; means for supplying said procession with containers; mechanism for driving said supplying means from the driving mechanism of-the advancing means; a clutch for throwing said supply driving means into and out of action to open said procession and admit the said given container thereto and to close up the procession again after said admission; and

means for automatically operating said clutch. v

11. A feeder for containers to be filled comprising an endless container-path; means for advancing a procession of containers in said path and carrying any g ven container through the circuit thereof; mechanism for driving said advancing means; -means for supplying said procession with containers; mechanism for driving said supplying means from the driving mechanism of the advancing means; a clutch for throwing said supply driving means into and out of action to open said procession and admit the said given container thereto and to close up the procession again after said admission ;v and means including said given container for automatically operating said clutch.

12. A feeder for containers to be filled, comprising an endless container-path; means for advancing a procession of containers in said path and carrying any given container through the circuit thereof; mechanism for driving said advancing means; means for supplying said procession with containers; mechanism for driving saidsupplying means from the driving mechanism ofthe advancing means; a clutch for throwing said supply driving means into and out of action to open said procession and, admit the said given container thereto and to close up the procession again after said admission and means comprising said given container, a cam-track, and clutch operating connection associated with said cam-track and modified by said container for automatically operating said clutch.

13. In a feeder for containers to be filled, the combination of a work-table; a conveyer for advancing a procession of containers over said work-table and past a filling station thereof; and means for supplying containers to said procession comprising a rotatable screw; a hopper for feeding the containers in recumbent position to the head of said screw; and a turnin -plate associated with said screwfor uprighting the containers as they advance to the work-table.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT R. THOMPSON. 

